


5+1: Task Failed Successfully

by watermelonikaz



Category: Holostars, Virtual Streamer Animated Characters
Genre: 5+1 Things, Boys Kissing, Comedy, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Secret Relationship, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 15:26:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30141618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watermelonikaz/pseuds/watermelonikaz
Summary: 5 times Temma & Astel tried and failed to keep their relationship a secret, and the one time they succeeded(?).
Relationships: Astel Leda/Kishido Temma
Comments: 12
Kudos: 18





	1. Mission Start

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jordi (sodayo)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sodayo/gifts).



> For jordi, something light for the boys we love.

“No, no, no, no,” Astel was saying quickly. He sounded a bit out of breath as he flopped onto his back on the bed, but he was laughing. “You can’t from here, I won’t be able to--”

“I’m already ten minutes late,” Temma said, trying to blow his sweat-matted bangs away from his face as he leaned over Astel’s computer set-up. He was clicking rapidly, speeding through the process of loading up his avatar and the game he was meant to be playing on stream.

“Temmaaa,” Astel complained with another laugh. He made a few useless and grabby movements with his hands, but didn’t get up from the bed. Instead, he shifted a bit to pick-up his phone by the bedside table, already moving to click on the other man’s waiting room. He muted the audio just as Temma went live.

“Konkishi!” Temma greeted his viewers, sounding chipper as he swayed a little on screen.

Astel looked from his phone’s screen which showed a properly decent Temma beginning to talk to his viewers, and then up at the actual Temma who was clad only in his underwear, his body still glistening a little from the sweat of what they’d been doing.

The disconnect was pretty funny. Astel felt another laugh bubble up inside of him so he buried his face in the pillow and snorted there softly, his giggling as silent as he could make it despite his initial complaints -- and threats -- that he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from being heard if Temma streamed from the bedroom.

 _Idiot_ , Astel thought fondly, knowing full well that he was one himself.

* * *

Despite what people might think about Astel’s aggression and Temma’s cluelessness, it was actually Temma who made the first move between them. Astel, for all his experience, wasn’t keen to start anything -- especially with coworkers, since that was a terrible idea no matter what angle he looked at it from -- despite his interest in Temma. He was content to tease a little, flirt a little -- or a lot, depending on what people thought was too much -- and generally skirt the edges of inappropriate with Temma.

It was something fun, something light, something Astel had no plans of committing to because he didn’t want to mess it up and ruin their camaraderie. After all, relationships were _hard_. They took work that Astel wasn’t willing to put in just yet because he was focused on something else.

He was enjoying answering to no one and he didn’t want the added pressure of having to take care of someone else when he was still trying to make a name for himself.

 _Not today_ , Astel thought whenever he interacted with Temma and felt his heart beat just a little bit faster in his chest. _Not yet._

Astel knew himself. He knew his capability to _focus_ without seeing anything else, and his tendency to fall head-over-heels into things, drowning in emotions and unable to find his way out to breathe.

It wasn’t that he hated the feeling, he just knew he wouldn’t be able to handle it gracefully. So he stayed far away -- or as far as he could go, because Astel was often like a kid at a candy store when it came to things he liked, touching every now and then because he truly couldn’t resist, whispering _I’ll come back for you_ to things he planned to buy and then pulling out his wallet several hours later anyway -- and didn’t make a move.

Temma, on the other hand, was like a steam engine when it came to things he liked. He started really slow -- to the point wherein he didn’t even know he was starting sometimes -- and just went with the flow. If something felt nice to him, he’d do it again. If he was interested in something, he’d pursue it, tentatively at first and then all at once.

His stubbornness, however, was something else.

Not that Temma would ever force himself on anyone who didn’t want it, of course. But while at first he didn’t notice Astel’s poking and prodding at him, when he finally did, the realization was sudden and not unwelcome. He took a day at max to ponder it and then he responded to Astel’s gentle advances, but with the subtlety of an elephant crashing into a room full of glass baubles.

“Be my boyfriend,” Temma said through text one day. It was 3AM on a weekday and he should be in bed but the more he thought about it, the more he wanted it and couldn’t sleep until he’d been given a proper answer.

Astel, Astel, Astel.

Temma wanted the other man in his arms, wanted to kiss him senseless, wanted to see his pretty face flush in embarrassment, his green eyes crinkling at the sides as he laughed. Astel had the reputation of being loud on stream, yes, but whenever Temma met the other man in person, Astel was surprisingly considerate to his companions -- never ordering too much, constantly asking if the venue and the food was okay, trying to make sure every conversation included everyone else so no one was left out.

It sounded perfect to Temma and he couldn’t think of a single downside to the whole thing, so he went ahead and asked. Nevermind the timing, nevermind the build-up. Temma had decided on something, so he went ahead and did it.

“???????”

The answering text was followed by a sticker of a confused but ugly blob of a man and Temma barely had a moment to laugh -- maybe he should’ve explained before asking -- before his phone was vibrating in his hand with a call from Astel himself.

“It’s 3AM,” Astel said the moment Temma had picked-up. His tone was one of scolding, even if he didn’t say the words.

Temma laughed. Even sounding annoyed like this, Astel’s voice was soothing to his ears. “So?”

“Did you mean to text Miyabi?”

“No,” Temma said, unable to keep the stupid smile from his lips. It wasn’t an instant rejection, at least. His foot was already in the door, whether Astel realized it or not.

There was silence for a moment and then Astel let out a loud sigh over the line, followed by soft laughter. “This is completely unromantic, Temma.”

“Sorry,” Temma said, trying to sound apologetic and failing at it. The only thing that he could process at that moment was that Astel wasn’t saying no at all. In fact, it sounded a little bit like he was going to say _yes_.

“I don’t really want--” Astel started, and then he was cursing under his breath for a moment. “One sec, I’m dying.”

“Take your time,” Temma replied, listening as Astel seemed to struggle for a moment, the rustle of his clothes as he probably tucked his phone between shoulder and chin, his breathing and the low tone of his voice as he was muttering to himself about his opponents. “Are you grinding offstream?”

Astel made a sound of acknowledgement and Temma found himself waiting patiently, savoring the little sounds Astel was making -- it was at that moment that Temma knew for sure he’d made the right decision, because listening to someone like this and practically being ignored for fifteen minutes would’ve grated on his nerves if it were anyone else -- until there was the sound of Astel readjusting his phone again, the squeak as he shifted in his chair to probably lean back, and then he was talking again to Temma.

“I can’t take care of you right now,” Astel said, his tone low but patient, like he was explaining something to a child. “I don’t have time to go on dates, or--”

“I know,” Temma interrupted, laughing. And he did know exactly what Astel was like, because he’d admired Astel for a long time now -- the way the other man could devote himself completely to something and try to master it, the way Astel tried to keep providing content and entertainment to his viewers no matter what, the way Astel constantly attempted to bring their little group to greater heights. “I’m not asking for that.”

“Temma--”

“I just want you as you,” Temma said. “You don’t have to change anything.”

More silence. Temma found himself suddenly nervous. He listened as Astel seemed to shift again in place, and heard the sound of Astel pouring himself a drink.

“Astel, I’m going to ask you everyday until you say yes,” Temma said, his tone serious and insistent, because apparently his response to frustration and nervousness was to keep pushing forward anyway.

Astel snorted out a sudden laugh, the sound soft and wonderful over the phone. “I knew you were crazy. I always seem to fall for the secretly insane ones. Looking all normal and fashionable on the outside to catch me off guard.”

“Is that a yes?” Temma asked, because he wanted the answer clearly. Despite his bravado, it would still hurt to be rejected, even if he was sure Astel did feel something for him and would probably only do things that he thought was for the best.

“Yes,” Astel said, and suddenly Temma could breathe again and they were both laughing like a couple of completely unhinged maniacs over the phone. It was probably from relief, or maybe they were already high from their feelings for each other that they’d both been trying to hold back with varying levels of success.

When they’d stopped laughing, Astel’s voice was suddenly soft and sweet over the line, in a tone Temma hadn’t ever heard him use before. “Temma?”

“Astel-chan?”

Astel coughed and then giggled. “Don’t call me that. It makes me sound cuter than I am.”

“But you _are_ cute,” Temma insisted, grinning widely to himself. He felt giddy, like some sort of teenager interacting with their crush. He couldn’t remember the last time this had happened to him, it’d been so long that he’d thought he’d naturally outgrown it.

Adult love wasn’t supposed to feel this happy, wasn’t it? It was supposed to be heavy, laden down by the realities of life and--

“You’re much cuter,” Astel teased, and then they were flirting -- showering each other with compliments and pick-up lines -- like they hadn’t just agreed to already enter into a relationship with each other.

It was easy between them, and no one was as surprised at that fact then themselves.

“I love you,” Astel said much, much later, when the sun was already up and they belatedly realized that they’d been talking for hours. “But don’t tell anyone, okay? Especially that guy named Kishido Temma. His ego doesn’t need any more stroking.”

Temma laughed. “I love you too, Astel. And your ego is bigger than mine, by the way.”


	2. Booting Up

Despite their agreement to keep the relationship out of their work, it sometimes slipped in anyway. It was mostly because Astel was terrible at managing his feelings -- and he’d  _ known  _ this was going to happen so he constantly blamed an amused Temma for starting all this -- and he couldn’t help but brag about his boyfriend every now and then, revealing just how much he adored the other man.

_ Temma is cute. Temma is fashionable. Temma’s voice is fantastic. Temma is-- _

Astel had to keep catching himself before he’d reveal too much, especially when he got too comfortable. He’d see Temma sending him messages and he’d gush about it onstream before trying to backtrack later on and call it ‘scary’ or ‘gross’ or a ‘wrong send’ because Temma was ‘supposed to be sending it to Miyabi.’

“I think it’d be more convincing if you didn’t dedicate an entire karaoke stream to me,” Temma teased, wrapping his arms around his smaller boyfriend from behind and dipping his head down to press a kiss to Astel’s hair.

Astel struggled a little against Temma’s grip on principle -- Temma knew by now not to let go and simply held him tighter -- even as he flushed a deep red in embarrassment.

“It was for Yurustars, not just for you, you overgrown banana,” Astel said crossly, stopping his struggling and leaning back into the embrace. There were advantages to having a much taller boyfriend. It was like he had a warm and portable heater following him around.

The only problem was, this particular heater could get horny.

“Overgrown banana?  _ Eroi _ ,” Temma said, laughing softly. Astel felt Temma’s breath on his neck and he shivered slightly at the sensation before Temma’s lips finally made contact in a gentle kiss. Astel could feel the heat of the growing bulge in Temma’s pants dig into him from behind, Temma’s hands sliding down to hook thumbs at the waistband of Astel’s pants. “Are you saying I’m too big and that’s why you don’t want me to--”

“No,” Astel interrupted with a groan of complaint. He meant it in both ways, though he knew Temma wouldn’t listen to either. “It was an insult, idiot. Also, you’re not that big, so get over yourself.”

“So you’ll let me top this time?” Temma asked, his tone now pretending to be innocent as he continued pressing soft kisses down Astel’s neck. He had a tendency to do this -- say incredibly lewd things and then act like he didn’t say anything afterwards -- and it was a wonder not many viewers had caught on yet to his perversion.

Astel let out a long sigh, but he leaned back anyway, letting Temma continue. This was a losing battle, but Astel’s pride wouldn’t let him just give in to his ridiculously persistent boyfriend. Where did Temma get this stubbornness anyway? And wasn’t Astel supposed to be the more insatiable one between them?

“No. Never. And I have a stream planned for--”

Temma’s right hand was sliding into Astel’s pants and Astel was opening his legs anyway. He could feel his focus shifting already from work to Temma. He should push his boyfriend away, he needed to do things and Temma was being the glorious distraction Astel always knew he would be. 

“Astel,” Temma was whispering now, and he was holding Astel closer and tighter in all the right places, his kisses on Astel’s skin growing more demanding. “Please? If I bend over the bed and you do it roughly, we could be done in ten minutes.”

“My stream is in five, Temma,” Astel said, but he was grinning now, amused at both Temma’s desperation and his own inability to say no completely to his sometimes unreasonable boyfriend. “Go bend over.”


	3. Cat Boys Have Good Hearing

Izuru was the first one to find out. Or rather, Izuru was the first one to have his suspicions confirmed because he’d already kinda known anyway. One didn’t spend a lot of time with Astel without picking up on these things, after all.

It was before a joint chat stream, when Astel had said something about needing a few minutes before they started and Izuru had made the mistake of continuing to exist instead of evaporating into space the moment he realized Astel hadn’t muted himself properly.

Astel had tried to mute himself, of course, but he’d missed the button entirely because he was distracted by Temma walking into the room clad in just a towel, his blond hair wet and still dripping rivulets of water down his body.

“What the _hell_ , Temma,” Astel hissed, physically rearing back a little because _goddammit_ , he was trying to work and here he was being assaulted by his boyfriend’s delectable physique. Again. “Put something on.”

“I need clothes. You got cum all over the ones I was wearing,” Temma said, grinning goofily at Astel like he didn’t know what he was doing -- he did, Astel was sure he did, because Temma’s sense of humor was at the same level as Astel’s and that was part of why they got along so well, it was just that Temma was better at _hiding_ it. 

“Excuse me, but that was your cum, not mine,” Astel countered, laughing now. “Who was the one who was begging for my attention by the door, anyway?”

Temma’s answering laugh was soft and airy. “It was a _great need_ , Astel. We haven’t seen each other for days and you kept ignoring me.”

“I told you I was busy,” Astel said, and he did feel a little bit guilty about his inconsistent schedules, but at the same time, he’d warned Temma about it when they’d started so--

“I know, don’t worry,” Temma assured, smiling. He closed the distance between them and bent to press a kiss to Astel’s lips, the action gentle even if he ended up dripping water all over Astel’s face midway. “I love everything about you, even your messed-up life.”

Astel snorted, raising his hand to brush back Temma’s wet bangs. “You’re partly responsible for messing it up anyway.”

“Hm? But I didn’t do anything,” Temma said with a laugh.

“Astel, I’ll stalk you everyday until you agree to fuck me against every piece of furniture you own,” Astel said in an imitation of Temma’s voice. He smirked to show he was joking.

Temma laughed again, and really, the sound made Astel’s heart soar every time he heard it. He was so in love, it was a bit disgusting. It didn’t feel like he was still him sometimes because he was so happy. Maybe he should become a monk or go on a pilgrimage to the mountains to regain his sanity and his ability to brood.

“That’s not what I said,” Temma said. “But if you’re offering--”

“Congratulations,” Izuru said dryly, and both Astel and Temma jumped at the sound coming from the headphones Astel had hanging around his neck. “Please stop now. If I hear any more, I won’t be able to look either of you in the face again."


	4. Reloading

It was alright that Izuru knew, since the younger man was more than capable of keeping a secret, but Astel cautioned Temma that they had to be more careful afterwards.

“We can’t let Miyabi know,” Astel was saying as he began laying out the McDonald’s take-out he’d brought over to feed Temma. His boyfriend had been a bit too absorbed in a game lately -- for once, it wasn’t Astel doing endurance streams -- to the point wherein he missed meals. And despite Astel’s insistence that he didn’t have time to devote himself to this relationship, he was doing it anyway.

When people called him a  _ liar man _ , they probably weren’t referring to this.

“Miyabi is cool though,” Temma said, shoving some fries into his mouth even as he kept moving his head to look back longingly towards his computer. “I don’t think he’d mind.”

“What would that do to HanaKishi?” Astel insisted, brushing away some salt from the side of Temma’s mouth automatically. “How are you two supposed to keep acting lovey-dovey if he knows?”

“We’re not acting lovey-dovey,” Temma said, glancing back at Astel and looking honestly baffled by the assertion. “When did that happen?”

Astel barely resisted rolling his eyes. Sometimes, he really wondered where Temma’s brain went. Did it turn on and off depending on the subject? Did he really not know how popular HanaKishi was as a pairing?

“Right,” Astel said, letting out an exasperated laugh. This was probably not a topic worth pursuing unless he wanted to come off as jealous and unreasonable. He probably already gave that impression sometimes -- because Astel couldn’t get a grip over his emotions on days when he was pining for Temma’s company but didn’t want to disrupt his boyfriend’s schedule -- but he didn’t want to make it worse since Temma apparently wasn’t doing things on purpose. “Anyway, Miyabi doesn’t have a good track record of keeping secrets either.”

“Oh, yeah, that could be a problem,” Temma agreed. “He does try to keep the more important things under wraps, but other things slip out.”

“Yes,” Astel said, relieved that he was able to get Temma to reach the same conclusion without having to have an argument. “So be careful, okay?”

“Okay,” Temma said.


	5. A Jackal and A Couple Walk Into A Bar

To Temma’s credit, it wasn’t Miyabi who found out next. It was Shien, on the day of Roberu’s 3D live. Temma had gone over to Astel’s because Astel had soundproofing, and it would’ve been a properly valid and professional excuse if Temma’s parents hadn’t already caught Astel going in and out of their house multiple times previously.

“He’s just a friend,” Temma had tried to say when he’d finally deigned to introduce Astel -- after both parents had dropped loud hints over multiple dinners about how  _ it would be nice  _ if they knew who that  _ polite boy with the wild hair  _ was that kept coming over with food -- and then he flushed a deep red when his mother lifted a hand to her own neck and rubbed, a knowing smile on her face.

Temma’s eyes flicked to Astel’s neck and at the marks he’d left there after a particularly intense session between them. Astel, for the most part, didn’t seem to realize just yet the extent of what Temma had done to him -- to be fair, Temma had matching marks on his own neck, but he at least had the presence of mind to change into a shirt that would cover them before this -- and was just standing there looking shy.

Astel had already said beforehand that he would be nervous as all hell being introduced to his boyfriend’s parents -- because he didn’t want to mess it up and maybe get thrown out of Temma’s life, despite Temma’s multiple assurances that such a thing wouldn’t happen -- and Temma was torn between pointing things out so Astel could cover up, or just trying to pretend nothing was wrong so Astel wouldn’t lose his nerve completely.

“I, for one, don’t eat my  _ friends  _ up,” Temma’s father said nonchalantly before Temma could decide on a proper course of action. “I suppose when Astel brings food over, you treat him like he’s the dessert part of the course?”

Astel tensed and then his eyes were wide and he was flushing as red as Temma was and taking a step back. Temma caught him with hands on his shoulders and held him steady.

“Okay, he’s--” Temma started, but then his mother was shaking her head with a soft laugh, and his father was reaching out a hand towards Astel to shake.

“Don’t let him bully you,” Temma’s father said when Astel took his hand tentatively and shook it. “He’s an only child, so we may have spoiled him, but someone needs to say no to him sometimes to put him in his place.”

“Papa--” Temma began, wanting to say that between the two of them, it was  _ Astel  _ who was often the bully and he did infinitely more than Temma when it came to sex -- because he knew more, of course, but Temma was planning on catching up soon and was studying the material -- but that wasn’t something one said to their  _ parents  _ and--

“Oh,” Astel said, and then he was laughing, the sound light and pleasant and a little infectious because then everyone else was laughing too. “Don’t worry, sir, I’ll be fine.”

“You can call me papa too,” Temma’s father was saying, and his mother was joining in and it was all around more embarrassing for Temma himself instead of Astel.

_ At least _ , Temma comforted himself afterwards despite his burning need to bury himself into a hole in the ground and never come back up for air again,  _ the relationship was accepted. _

But he would really like to be able to say he was going out to see Astel without both his parents giving him a  _ look  _ and telling him to  _ take care of Astel _ , like he was a demon going out to ravish some sort of innocent maiden when it was really the other way around between him and Astel, despite Temma’s attempts to persuade his boyfriend to let him lead sometimes.

“So, Shien and Miyabi are going first, and then the two of us come after for the SunTempo portion,” Astel was explaining as he tinkered with his set-up. He joined the call -- they’d informed Roberu beforehand that they’d be sharing Astel’s mic, and Roberu said that was great because Temma’s volume from home needed work to be heard anyway -- and then slid into his chair afterwards.

“And where am I supposed to sit?” Temma asked, approaching to lean over his boyfriend’s shoulder. He couldn’t resist dipping down to press a kiss to Astel’s cheek as he did so.

“You don’t,” Astel replied, laughing. “Stay standing.”

“No way,” Temma said, and then he was reaching down to tickle at Astel’s sides and Astel was trying to twist away and they were laughing.

“Stop, stop,” Astel was squirming, his protests breathless in between his laughter. He looked so beautiful at that moment -- so happy -- and Temma was helplessly in love with him-- 

And Temma was pressing their open mouths together in a hungry kiss, Astel’s gasp turning into a moan and his arms hooking around Temma’s neck and pulling him closer. Temma deepened the kiss, his tongue probing and exploring Astel’s mouth, and it was so sweet and so good and--

“Wow,” Shien whispered to himself, though he kept himself muted so as not to interrupt. He listened for a while to the sounds of breathing and kissing and moaning, thoroughly interested in how far his two friends would go before stopping, and was a little bit disappointed when they seemed to decide to regain their sanity just before getting to anything too extreme.

“Shien?!” Astel’s exclamation was high-pitched all of a sudden, and Shien chuckled to himself at the sound.

“Maybe he’s AFK--” Temma began, and that’s when Shien finally unmuted himself to talk.

“If I may suggest a position so Temma can sit down?” Shien said, still chuckling a little. He could imagine how embarrassed the two were and it was amusing to finally have a little bit of blackmail material for when he needed it. “Astel, why don’t you try sitting on his lap instead?”


	6. This Bartender is Also A Bouncer

When Roberu’s 3D stream was over, Temma said he wanted to play Loop Hero, and Astel graciously offered his own PC for this endeavor since he wasn’t planning on streaming that night anyway. He made to shift off Temma’s lap -- Shien’s suggestion, though embarrassing at first, did end up being the best way to go about things, and Astel did enjoy it when Temma would hold him a little tighter when they laughed together at Roberu’s antics -- so his boyfriend could properly concentrate on the stream.

“I’ll stream in twenty minutes,” Temma said, his arms around Astel’s waist firm and holding him in place. He buried his face in Astel’s neck from behind and dropped his tone to whisper against Astel’s skin. “Stay for a while.”

Astel shivered and then he obliged, leaning back in the embrace even as one of his hands continued scrolling through his phone. This was Roberu’s big day, and he was determined to make sure everyone was celebrating it. He kept his free hand on top of Temma’s around him, squeezing slightly to make sure Temma knew Astel wasn’t ignoring him.

“Will you dance in your 3D?” Temma asked quietly.

“Maybe,” Astel replied, a smirk forming on his lips. “Why? Do you want to join the dance number?”

“Not really,” Temma laughed quietly. “I just want to see you dance.”

Astel laughed louder at that, finally placing his phone down on the desk and sinking more into Temma’s arms. “I can dance for you right now, if you want.”

“Lap dance?” Temma asked in that fake-innocent tone of his, and Astel could feel his boyfriend smirk against the skin of his neck.

“Oh ho, Kishido Temma, you’re a total perv, aren’t you?”

“Not at all,” Temma replied with a laugh. “Isn’t it normal to want to see my boyfriend dance for me?”

“Fine,” Astel said in an overly dramatic tone, and then he was slapping lightly at Temma’s hands so the other man would release him. “Let me give you a little show then, since today is a special occasion.”

Temma released Astel and he leaned forward to rapidly tap at his keyboard and move his mouse so he could select a proper song and direct it to the speakers. He didn’t pay much attention to the Discord call -- after all, it was just them there now that Roberu’s 3D was done -- and when the music began to play he made to stand directly in front of Temma, blocking the screen from the blond’s view with his body.

Astel breathed in and out slowly, trying to get into the right frame of mind. He didn’t really do this for anyone -- no one seemed worth the trouble and besides, it was extremely embarrassing -- but since it was for Temma, he’d make an exception.

Temma would always be an exception. That’s how much Astel loved him.

And then he began to dance, running a hand through his own hair as he swayed in tune to the music, his eyes closing as he let himself go just a little bit, fingers trailing over his own chest and then downwards in a seductive manner.

Temma made a small sound at the back of his throat and Astel opened his eyes to see his boyfriend gaping at him with a slightly open mouth and blue eyes that were rapidly darkening with unmistakable lust.

Astel smirked, and then he was moving, leaning forward to palm Temma’s knees with his hands, spreading his boyfriend’s legs, and then sliding in between them to sway downwards, his fingers brushing Temma’s crotch.

Temma let out a sound that was close to feral, and then he was grabbing at Astel’s arms and pulling him closer, their mouths meeting in a harsh kiss, Temma’s hands roaming all over Astel’s body like he was suddenly possessed by a need to rip off all of Astel’s clothes without further conversation.

Roberu watched this all happen silently -- did Astel not know he’d hit the camera when turning on that song? -- since he’d initially returned to the call in order to thank his SunTempo genmates for coming to his 3D.

He briefly considered staying and seeing the whole thing through to the end -- because, honestly? It was kinda hot, and his favorite type of porn was one where he was the audience, like some sort of voyeur bonanza -- but decided that he’d be a good friend and let the two have their privacy.

He kicked Astel from the call and logged out, only laughing to himself when he was sure no one else would hear. 


	7. Old Man with a Gun in a Flowerfield

Astel was trying to help Yurustars out in APEX -- well, he was trying to help Temma out because he was admittedly biased towards the love of his life (that, and only Temma was screen-sharing to him) -- and Temma had assured him that it was a safe thing to do. This time for sure they wouldn’t slip up and expose themselves because they weren’t even in the same room to do  _ anything _ .

It was turning out alright, though Astel couldn’t help but talk about Temma in a praising manner while dunking on everyone else. He had to keep reminding himself to properly insult Temma too, but it was a bit difficult to do when he knew how hard Temma was trying in this game.

“I want to be able to play with you more in games you like,” Temma had said, and Astel had felt so incredibly touched -- to think, his boyfriend was trying so hard for him, when he didn’t really have to -- that he’d have probably let Temma top at that moment if the blond had bothered to ask.

“No, it’s okay, I have an alt--” Astel tried to say, though the tone of his voice on the call betrayed how much he was smiling.

“Astel-chan,” Temma laughed then, “You’re really cute. Let me do this. It’s not just for you. I want this for myself too.”

“You’re still cuter,” Astel retorted, laughing as well. He could feel his cheeks grow hot --  _ why  _ did Temma still have this effect on him and  _ when  _ was it going to wear out? This was going to be a total pain at the next off-collab if he couldn’t control his traitorous body’s reactions to anything Temma said -- and was suddenly glad they weren’t in the same room so Temma wouldn’t notice and call him out on it.

Still, Astel tried to keep it under control.  _ Try  _ being the key word because he was pretty sure he said a few things that could very well be suspect if people were paying attention. Thankfully, it seemed as if both Miyabi and Aruran were focused on the game too much to notice.

When the Yurustars collab was over for the day, Astel was about to leave the call -- this time, he wouldn’t make any stupid mistakes -- when he heard Miyabi say something to Temma.

“You’re calling him ‘Astel-chan’ now?” Miyabi teased, laughing a little afterwards.

“It fits him,” Temma replied, and Astel wondered whether he was invisible in this damn call or if everyone knew he was listening and didn’t care if he heard. With Temma, it could go either way. “He’s like a cute bundle of sunshine--”

“I’m not,” Astel said, unmuting himself to join in the conversation. “Temma-chan is much cuter, and--”

“Astel, take the compliment,” Temma laughed. “I really admire you. Your skills in APEX and everywhere else are--”

“Everywhere else?” Miyabi echoed, his tone teasing. “Is there something you two aren’t telling us?”

“No,” Astel said quickly.

“Yes,” Temma said at the exact same time.

“Temma!” Astel groaned, pressing a hand to his face before he felt an exasperated laugh bubble up from within him. This guy!

“I didn’t say anything,” Temma insisted. “Miyabi doesn’t know about us, don’t worry.”

Miyabi started laughing, and that’s when Temma seemed to realize his mistake. He tried to backtrack and say it was about some sort of secret APEX training he was doing under Astel, but Aruran then spoke up and sealed their fates.

“Ah, I thought everyone knew,” Aruran said, and Astel felt himself die a little at the sentence. Had he slipped up at some point during their APEX sessions and said something? He was so sure he hadn’t, so why--

“I proofread Temma’s love letter to you,” Aruran said calmly. “It’s very sweet.”

“What love let--” Astel started, his eyes widening.

“I haven’t given it yet!!” Temma complained. “You’re ruining the surprise!”

“Oh?” Miyabi said then, and he sounded amused. He was taking this revelation much calmer than Astel had expected. Had he read Miyabi wrong this whole time and the redhead really wasn’t attracted to Temma after all? “I’d like to see this love letter. Maybe we can make it even sweeter.”

As Temma tried to get everyone to quit talking about his supposed surprise -- that was not a surprise anymore, but Astel said he didn’t mind -- Astel saw his notifications flash with a message from Miyabi.

_ Take care of him _ , Miyabi’s message read.

Astel laughed, a little bit relieved that he hadn’t misjudged his friend completely. His fingers flew over the keys as he typed his response. When they’d started, he never would’ve said this, but over time he’d come to realize that no matter how busy he was and how focused he tried to be in everything else, his feelings for Temma would always find a way to push themselves to the forefront.

And he didn’t mind that at all.

_ I will _ , Astel replied.  _ I’ll do everything I can for him. _


	8. Robot and Demon At The End of The Road

Rikka and Oga finding out was entirely Temma’s fault and had nothing to do with Astel.

Or at least, that’s what Astel told himself even as he ended up crying on a group call when he’d finally received that stupid love letter Temma had said was supposed to be a surprise. It was originally meant for Astel’s birthday -- something that amazed Astel because wow, since when did Temma plan that far in advance? And at the same time, it gave him warm and fuzzy feelings because Temma was still planning for them to be together months later -- but Astel had run into a personal problem and had been feeling down lately, so Temma had decided to send it early.

It was mostly a practical letter, with Temma detailing all the things he loved about Astel using the dumbest comparisons known to mankind -- _you are like tonkotsu ramen, the perfect blend of ingredients to create the most delicious human_ \-- but it was, like Aruran had said, sweet in it’s own Temma way. (It was also incredibly stupid and funny, but that was just Temma being Temma and Astel secretly loved it)

Astel made it all the way to the end while blinking away tears and trying not to cry because why was his boyfriend so sweet and what had he ever done right in this life to deserve someone like this?

“I think no matter what Astel does, I’ll love it,” Temma said suddenly. Astel wasn’t even sure what they’d been talking about since he’d been focused on reading -- something about future collaboration plans at the start, though he hadn’t been feeling well enough to properly participate -- but those words had caused him to sniffle. He buried his face in his hands and tried to get some semblance of calm back in his body.

Temma, whose voice was like a soothing balm to the worries in Astel’s life. A solid presence -- even if Astel had initially tried to resist -- and stubborn enough to stay no matter how stupidly hard it must be to deal with Astel’s inconsistent behavior at times.

Astel loved him so much, he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“I think there’s a little bias there, Temma,” Miyabi teased. “Just a little.”

“Yeah, definitely just a friend thing,” Roberu said, though he laughed right after, ensuring that no one really took him seriously.

“It’s because Temma is in love with me,” Astel said. It was meant to be said in a teasing manner, but he ended up saying it softly, quietly, like a confirmation of a secret they’d been keeping close to their hearts all this time.

Not that they’d succeeded in keeping that secret at all from their friends, of course.

“Yes,” Temma said, laughing softly. “That’s definitely it.”

“I figured,” Rikka said, letting out his own soft laugh. “You spoil him a lot, Astel. Even the way you talk about him is different.”

“See? It wasn’t me letting everyone know,” Temma said, sounding a little proud now. “It was obviously all Astel.”

“Shut up,” Astel laughed, swiping at his eyes. “Some of it was definitely you.”

“Wait,” Oga said, sounding completely confused. “What did I miss?”


	9. Auto-Debug

They’d failed at keeping the secret from everyone else, so Astel decided it didn’t really matter anymore. While they still tried to keep up appearances in their streams, around the other Holostars, they didn’t bother. Astel got used to being pinged when someone was complaining about Temma and vice-versa.

It was a little strange at first -- because Astel still wasn’t sure why everyone was so chill about the whole thing. He’d never really had a relationship go this well before, it was a bit scary -- but eventually he relaxed and went with the flow.

He’d visit Temma when he was free, and Temma would return the favor. They sometimes streamed from each other’s places and no one was any wiser about it, especially since Astel was always busy on his phone commenting everywhere else.

“I think we’ve gotten better at hiding this,” Temma said one day, his hand gently combing through Astel’s hair. Astel was sprawled on top of his larger boyfriend, his face pressed into Temma’s chest and his eyes closed. They’d just finished a particularly strenuous activity and so he was resting, relishing the feeling of Temma’s warmth beneath him. Temma felt like home to him, and it was at moments like this wherein Astel felt like he could truly, finally, relax after all his hard work.

Astel snorted at the sentence, a small smile forming on his lips. “We’re not hiding it anymore, Temma. Everyone and their mothers know… literally. Your mama handed me some sort of ass-soothing balm when I walked in earlier and I felt something inside of me die when I thanked her for it.”

Temma was silent for a moment before he laughed, sounding a little embarrassed as he did so. “Did you tell her you didn’t need it?”

“You want me to tell your mama that you’re the one who needs the ass cream?” Astel laughed. “No thanks, love, I like living.”

“Well,” Temma teased. “We could always switch posi--”

“No,” Astel said. He didn’t really mind anymore, but at this point, neither did Temma. Their words were just a formality, a little inside joke, so to speak.

“Worth a try,” Temma said. Astel felt him shrug, and then-- “Where’d you leave the cream?”

“I’ll massage it into you later, don’t worry,” Astel grinned.


	10. Mission Success

Shinove glanced at the two boys in front of him, wondering if he should say something about how Astel’s clothes were rumpled or how Temma’s hair was standing up at points and looked like someone had run their hands through it.

He’d been young once -- and sometimes liked to say he was still in the throes of his youth -- and so he instantly knew the reason why they were late to the meeting. The other Holostars had tried to cover for them, but the excuses had been too varied to be believable -- ranging from Oga saying that Temma was pumping iron at the gym and Roberu saying that Astel had fallen into the toilet of the bathroom -- so Shinove settled on just feigning ignorance instead.

“Trains were late today, weren’t they?” Shinove said, nodding at Astel and Temma and then turning away so he could walk back to the group. “Come on, let’s start.”

And if he heard the two congratulating each other under their breaths behind him, Shinove wasn’t going to tell a soul.


End file.
